Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. If I did, Ootori would totally be my butler.

Warning: This fic contains mild shounen-ai and non-explicit yaoi.

Author's Notes: Enjoy this chapter! I've put a lot of thought into it. XD I kept changing things but I think I'm finally happy with it. Quick reminder: I've made some of the characters female, just to be weird and fun. So don't kill me. Laugh instead. XD


Atobe and his wife sat at one end of the very long table in the dining hall. The rich man tapped his foot and looked impatiently at his watch.

"Where is Keigo?"

His wife sighed. "It's only been a few minutes, dear."

"He doesn't seem to realize what a busy man I am. It's very difficult for me to find an hour in my schedule every day to spend time with him. And he apparently doesn't feel obligated to show up when I ask him to."

Just then, Keigo walked in the door. He sat down silently, completely aware of his father's intense stare.

"You're late," Atobe observed.

"I'm sorry, Father," Keigo replied. He said nothing more.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Dear…" The mistress warned gently, hiding her frustration with her husband.

Keigo looked down at the plate that had just been set in front of him. "I just… lost track of time. I'm sorry."

His mother stared at Atobe. "It was only a few minutes," she whispered.

The master of the house sighed and picked up his fork. He began eating, obviously not wanting to discuss the matter any further.

After a few full minutes of silence, Atobe finally changed the subject. "So, Keigo… What did you think of the new bodyguard Oshitari found for you?"

Keigo didn't look at his father, but stared straight ahead.

I know what you want me to say, Father.

He stuck his fork in a piece of food. "He's… alright. Very quiet."

His father seemed satisfied with that answer, as he continued eating. Knowing this, Keigo frowned.

His mother could tell something was wrong. "Well, we can always find you another one, if you want."

Atobe glared at his wife, wishing she could learn to keep her mouth shut. "Don't be silly, dear." He turned to his son. "You haven't even seen him in action yet. I hear he's an expert at martial arts."

Keigo rested his cheek in his hand and traced the rim of his glass with his finger. "Yes, Father, I know. Kendo."

"Really? How did you know that?"

"He carries a katana."

"No elbows on the table, sweetheart." The mistress noted Keigo's lack of interest with disappointment. "You know what you should do? You should ask to see some of his fighting, maybe some shooting as well. Then you might feel more comfortable with him."

Keigo sighed and dropped his hands into his lap. "That won't be necessary, Mother. I'm sure he's very qualified."

"Of course he is," Atobe cut in between bites. "And we're not hiring anyone else."

Keigo glared at the table.

"Sweetheart? You haven't touched your food," his mother observed.

"I'm not hungry," he snapped.

His parents just stared at him. It made him uncomfortable, so he got up and left the room.

"Keigo! Get back in here now!" Atobe stood.

"Let him go, dear."

When he reached the safety of his room, Keigo slammed the door behind him. Then he climbed once again into his bed, feeling his eyes start to sting again.

I miss you, Kippei.

He rubbed away his first tear roughly, almost scratching his face with his sleeve.

This is ridiculous. I already cried today.

He grabbed a pillow and held it close. His face was twisted with sorrow and anger. "I'm not this much of a baby," he said aloud. "I'm not going to cry again."

He closed his eyes, fighting the tears. He slowly gained control, but continued to hate himself for the fact that his eyes still stung. The thought that he had cried at all today was repulsive to him. If his father knew…

Keigo tried to distract himself by thinking of the day's events. But that just frustrated him even more. The thought of being stuck with his new bodyguard made him angry. And he started to hate Sanada.

He wanted Kippei.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember. He imagined feeling someone's warm arms wrapping gently around him from behind. Someone's loving voice whispered into his ear. He opened his eyes.

No one was really there.

Keigo felt a lump form in his throat. He clutched the blanket at his side, fighting the urge to break down. How stupid was he, to think of all that? Was he trying to make himself cry?

Somehow, he couldn't stop the heartbreaking thoughts from coming. Kippei was really dead. And everyone expected him to be okay with it. He couldn't talk about it. He hadn't even been allowed to go to the funeral. He wasn't supposed to cry, either, which was what made it so hard not to.

It was so hard not to…

But he couldn't. He wasn't allowed. That's why he'd only been able to cry for a few minutes when he got home. He'd had to stop himself so he could dry his eyes, so they wouldn't be red and his father wouldn't see. And that's why he had to stop himself now.

Suddenly, he felt very alone.

He fell onto his pillow, wanting to forget it all. Some part of him still wanted to wake up and find out that this was all a nightmare. He wished he could open his eyes and see that he wasn't alone after all. That Kippei was still there, beside him…

Frustrated with himself, he hit the pillow next to him. No nightmare lasted for five days.

Don't cry, Keigo.

Don't…

Keigo felt exhaustion begin to take over. He left his current nightmare and slipped into another.

In the back grounds later that evening, a guard was making his nightly rounds when the alarm went off. He whipped out his flashlight and surveyed the area. The light caught something black quickly jumping over the wall.

"Who's there?" he yelled, knowing that it was already too late. He cursed under his breath.

Another guard ran over. "Hiyoshi! Did you see anything?"

"Somone just jumped over that wall." Hiyoshi pointed with his spot of light.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a cat?" the other guard asked.

Hiyoshi glared at him. "Don't be stupid, Sengoku. After all the break-ins we've had, you're still saying it was 'just a cat'?"

Sengoku rubbed the back of his neck. "Forgive a guy for being optimistic." He switched on his own light and turned slightly away. "In any case, it looks like the alarm scared them off. Let's just make sure everything's clear."

Hiyoshi stared at the wall, undecided. Whoever it had been was probably long gone. He growled and walked away to check the area.

The culprit jumped into the waiting car a block away and slammed the door. "Drive," she barked.

"What happened this time?" the driver asked.

She tossed her red hair. "Inui's information was wrong. Again."

He sighed. "Eiji, are you really sure it's not just you?" (1)

Eiji shot him an evil glare. "What are you saying, Oishi?" she hissed.

"Inui's information is rarely wrong…"

"Well, he keeps complaining himself that the system is whack."

"Define 'whack'…"

"It keeps changing on us! Every time we trip the freakin' alarm, it resets!"

"Calm down, doll face."

Eiji slumped back into her chair with her arms crossed.

"You can explain to Tezuka," she said.

"Fine. I'll explain to Tezuka."

Oishi glanced at his partner. Eiji seemed genuinely upset. He put his arm around her and continued to drive with one hand.

"Just leave it to me, sweetheart."

Sanada was almost finished unpacking when he heard the alarm go off.

Shoot…

He looked around frantically for his belt. Wherever he had set it, his weapons would be attached. It didn't take him long to see it on the top shelf of his closet, but the thirty seconds he was allowed was a very short time, too. He still had to go all the way up the stairs to Keigo's bedroom.

Keigo had jolted awake as soon as the alarm started sounding.

"Great," he mumbled, rubbing his forehead. He really wasn't in the mood to see his new bodyguard again. His night had been hard enough, especially with all of the bad dreams he'd been having…

Keigo sat up, thinking back to the nightmare he had just been saved from. It was very similar to that memory that still haunted him, with one crucial difference.

They'd gotten him this time.

He shuddered. What was taking Sanada so long?

Just then, Sanada came through the door, almost cautiously. "Sir? Are you awake?"

"Yes. Come in."

Sanada could only see the silouhette of his master behind the thin curtains covering the gigantic bed. He walked closer, marvelling at the size of it. When he reached the bedside, he stood up straight and scanned the room.

"What took you so long?" Keigo asked.

"I didn't realize it would take me quite so long to get to your room," he explained calmly, still looking around. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to make you nervous."

"I was not nervous."

Sanada now looked towards his charge. Keigo's harsh denial proved that he was lying. Why did he sound so angry?

Deciding that there was no proper reply to his master's false assertion, Sanada continued to observe his surroundings. His eyes fell on the huge windows at the far side of the room.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come closer to this edge of the bed."

Keigo rolled his eyes and crawled over. "What? Is there a problem?"

"No, I'm just thinking what would happen if someone broke in through those windows."

Keigo became still for a moment. His nightmare flashed before his eyes. He shook off the feeling and started tying back his curtains, trying to act nonchalant. "What would happen, exactly?"

Sanada's eyes remained on the windows. "I wouldn't be able to get around the bed in time to protect you."

The words lingered in Keigo's ears. Suddenly Sanada's voice had sounded strangely like Kippei's.

The seventeen-year-old settled into a sitting position on the edge of his bed. At least this new guard was thorough. He felt safe again and relaxed.

Keigo looked up at Sanada, whose eyes were resting intensely on the door. He couldn't help wondering exactly what Sanada planned to do if someone came through it suddenly. As far as Keigo could tell, every muscle in the guard's body was tense and ready to act.

The young master's eyes dropped to the floor and began scanning upward. He studied the strong position of Sanada's legs, the way he clasped his hands firmly behind his back, his broad shoulders, the tan neck hidden under strands of glossy black hair, his chisled jawline…

Sanada's hand reached up briefly to the device in his ear. Then he turned to Keigo and said, "It's all clear. I can go if you want me to, sir."

Keigo blinked. He hadn't heard when the alarm had shut off. It irritated him to realize where his mind had just been going. So he turned away and replied, "Yes. Please go."

Before Sanada reached the door, though, Keigo had second thoughts. He looked out the windows, remembering why Sanada had asked him to move away from them.

"Wait," he commanded.

Sanada turned to look at him. "Yes, sir?"

Keigo couldn't believe he was asking this. "Can you stay a little longer?"

"Of course, sir." Sanada walked back to the exact spot he had been standing.

After an awkward pause, Keigo sighed and said, "I know it's stupid, but I'm just feeling a little nervous."

"That's not stupid, sir."

He looked back at Sanada. The bodyguard's stance and expression were stiff as always, but his eyes radiated honesty. "You don't think so?" Keigo asked softly.

"No, sir. Especially after everything that must have happened lately."

Keigo gazed into Sanada's eyes, baffled. He had never expected to find understanding there. He turned away a little, running his fingers through his hair.

"May I ask you something, sir?" Sanada asked, very quietly.

"Yes, what is it?"

Sanada took a breath. "Can you tell me about the day Tachibana died?"

Keigo looked up at him with wide eyes. Sanada continued. "I never really heard what happened. All I heard was that he was shot." After a second, he added, "You don't have to tell me, of course. I understand if you don't want to talk about it, sir."

"No! No…" Keigo let out a breath, almost like a laugh. "It's fine; I'll tell you. I've actually… really wanted to talk about it. Sit down."

Sanada obediently sat on the edge of Keigo's bed, beside him. The guard's eyes rested on his young master as carefully as he was listening. Keigo clasped his hands, playing with them a little. He had been so anxious to talk about that day, but he hadn't really thought about what he wanted so badly to say. And he didn't know where to start.

"That day…" he began. Right away, he had to take a deep breath. "It was… a very normal day. It's almost unsettling how normal it was. I slept in that day, and Kippei and I went out for lunch."

Sanada never took his eyes off Keigo. During this short pause, he wondered why his master always referred to Tachibana by his first name.

The seventeen-year-old continued. "Kippei seemed a little… uneasy. He kept looking around… Looking back, I wonder if he'd seen someone following us, or if it was just his intuition. He never said anything. When I asked, he said it was nothing. I think he just didn't want to worry me." Keigo clasped his hands tighter. "I wish he'd told me."

The young master rubbed his forehead, hiding his eyes with his hand. There was another long silence before he took his hand away and went on.

"Later, we went for a walk… in that park I took you to today. He called for the limo to be parked very close by. I guess I should have taken that as another clue that he was nervous. We had a few other guards with us too… Sometimes we do that when I go into town. They were waiting by the car. We were walking back…" Keigo closed his eyes. "I remember seeing the limo, just ahead. Kippei was walking beside me… and then, there was a lot of noise…" He buried his head in his hands. "Kippei threw his arms around me to protect me, but then, I guess he realized he wasn't able to stand. He pushed me towards the car and one of the guards pulled me inside. The last thing I heard him yell before they slammed the door was 'Go!'" Keigo looked up again. "And that's just what we did."

Sanada just stared, taking this all in. It amazed him how calm his master sounded as he was talking.

"I still don't think it hit me what had happened, at first. But when Kamio, the guard who was in the car with me, looked me over to see if I was hurt, I saw, on my shirt… I guess I didn't realize, but I had gotten some of Kippei's blood on me… And that's when I knew…"

Keigo stopped there, seemingly unable to go on. Sanada, without thinking, whispered, "Knew what, sir?"

The seventeen-year-old took a deep breath. "I knew I'd never see him again."

There was an interminable silence. Keigo dug his nails into the flesh of his arm.

Don't do it, Keigo. Not in front of him…

Don't cry.

Sanada noticed his young master's discomfort. He wasn't certain of the source, until he saw the water building up in Keigo's eyes.

Sanada clenched his fists slightly.

He had been there.

"You can cry, sir, if you need to."

As if responding to Sanada's command, tears began flowing down Keigo's cheeks. His tightly pursed lips relaxed and parted slightly.

I can?

Before he knew it, he was sobbing. He cried for several minutes.

And that was all he needed to do.

He didn't need to be held, he didn't need a shoulder to cry on. All he had needed to know was that it was okay to cry. And he needed to be allowed to do so.

How had Sanada known that?

When he was done, Keigo wiped his eyes with the corner of his blanket. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't need to be sorry, sir." Sanada stood. "I'm sorry I made you talk about all that."

"No!" Keigo looked up at him with eyes that were still glassy. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me burden you with it ."

Sanada shook his head. "It's no burden, sir."

Keigo felt himself smile. "And thank you… for letting me cry."

Sanada just looked at him for a moment, as if unsure how to respond. "Of course, sir," he said finally.

"You can go," Keigo offered, getting back into bed. "I'm keeping you from your sleep."

"Don't worry about that, sir. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

The young master nodded and smiled softly. "I'm sure. Thank you."

"Goodnight, then, sir."

"Goodnight," Keigo replied, then watched him leave. Minutes later, he fell into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, when Sanada's alarm went off at five, he switched it off. When he'd set the alarm, his intent had been to make it to breakfast on time. But he hadn't expected his sleep to be delayed by a security alarm. Figuring that it was a valid excuse to sleep in, he buried his face in his pillow.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. "What?" he yelled, not moving.

"Sanada-san?" It was Ootori.

Sanada sighed and got up to open the door. But then he realized that it would probably be a good idea to put on a pair of pants. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. "Just a minute," he yelled.

"Take your time," Ootori replied. He waited patiently for his new friend to open the door. When Sanada did, Ootori was a little shocked to see him wearing nothing but the black pants from his uniform.

Sanada didn't understand what the butler found so surprising. "What is it?" he asked.

The words caught a little in Ootori's throat. "Oh… I was…" He felt himself blush. He coughed. "I was sent to tell you that, after breakfast, Master Keigo wishes to see you. He said he wants to watch some of your shooting and kendo."

"He wants…" Sanada ran his fingers through his hair, slowly comprehending. "Why?"

Ootori smiled nervously. "I'm not sure, Sanada-san."

"Alright." Sanada sighed and turned back to glance at his clock. "I guess I'd better go to breakfast, then."

"Alright, see you then."

Sanada closed the door. Ootori wiped his forehead.

Does that man know how good he looks without a shirt?

Sanada got dressed and made it to breakfast a little early. He met Ootori there and ate with him. Afterwards, Ootori offered to show him where to meet Keigo.

"He said that he'd be waiting at the firing range."

"This house has its own firing range?"

Sure enough, when the two of them got there, they found Keigo sitting on one of the concrete slabs that seperated the shooter from the target. Dangling from his finger was an extra pair of hearing protectors.

"What took you so long?" he asked Sanada, motioning for Ootori to leave the room.

The bodyguard wasn't sure how to answer. "How long have you been waiting, sir?"

"A while. I slept well so I woke up pretty early today." Keigo jumped down from his perch and handed the piece of equipment he was holding to Sanada.

Sanada draped the headband around his neck and quickly inspected his weapon. "So, why did you want to watch me do this, sir?"

Keigo crossed his arms. "Just curious how good you are." He placed the hearing protectors over his ears and folded his arms again. "Fire when ready."

Sanada covered his own ears. "Stand back, sir."

He aimed at the target and shot. Round after round, he hit where he was aiming, almost dead center every time. Keigo watched with a confident smile on his face.

"Pretty impressive," he said when Sanada was done. "You have a good eye."

"I was told so, sir." Sanada finished reloading his gun and stuck it back into his belt.

"Now let's see some of your kendo. Follow me."

They were met in the hallway by Ootori. He walked beside Keigo and Sanada followed, a bit behind.

"How was he, sir?" The butler asked his master in a whisper.

Keigo glanced back at Sanada, suddenly getting an idea. He smirked and turned back to Ootori.

"He's pretty good," he admitted, just barely loud enough for his bodyguard to hear. "But his shooting isn't anything I would brag about. Kippei was better. But he's good enough."

Sanada bristled.

Good enough?

He had gone to the firing range and done as he was told, but had done so somewhat half-heartedly. He hadn't been expecting any sort of critique from his young master.

He would have done better if he had known that.

Sanada couldn't say exactly why Keigo's insignificant comment annoyed him. But as they kept walking, he decided that he would prove Keigo wrong when he showed him his kendo.

He was better than "good enough."

Just ahead, Keigo grinned slightly, well aware that his remark had achieved the desired effect.

They reached the training room minutes later. Three rolled-up bamboo mats were set up at one end. Keigo and Ootori walked to the other side of the room and knelt down on the mat to watch.

Sanada gripped his sheath. "What would you like to see, sir?"

"Your best moves," Keigo responded with a smirk. "Dazzle me."

Sanada bowed a little and turned to face his target. Keigo narrowed his eyes, already able to tell that Sanada was more in his element. He saw a fire in the guard's eyes.

This should be good.

The seventeen-year-old watched as Sanada focused for a moment. Then, quicker than a flash of lightning, the bodyguard drew his sword and made one clean cut in the bamboo mat. The top half fell to the floor.

Keigo couldn't breathe. What had just happened? He had hardly seen it.

Sanada re-sheathed his sword and positioned himself in front of the next target. Keigo watched in awe as he performed the same quick motion, this time making three perfect cuts. On the next one, he moved his feet a little more, aggressively cutting the mat twice, then spinning around to make the third and final cut. Satisfied, he stood up straight and put the sword back in its sheath. Then he turned to his audience.

"That was incredible, Sanada-san!" Ootori clasped his hands together. "I've never seen anyone move so fast!"

Keigo just stared with an open mouth at the pieces of the mat that lay on the floor.

Sanada looked at him. "Sir?"

Keigo jolted a bit, looking up at Sanada. "Yes… very impressive. I was… very impressed." He stood up. His legs felt a little shaky beneath him, but he hid it well. "Thank you, Sanada. Relax for the rest of the morning. I'll send Ootori to get you if I feel like going out after lunch."

"Thank you, sir." Sanada bowed and left the room.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Ootori asked when he was gone.

Keigo felt his heart beating faster. "No, Ootori. It's nothing." He turned away. "I'll just… be going to my room now."

On his way upstairs, Keigo tried desperately to calm down a bit. He was frightened. That feeling he'd gotten suddenly, watching Sanada… It scared him. When Kippei died, he thought he'd never have that feeling again. He wasn't in love, exactly… But he was attracted to Sanada.

Keigo resented his father for not wanting him to get attached to his new bodyguard. But now he realized that the possibility scared him, too.

I don't want to feel this way again… I don't! Not after what happened…

I don't want that to happen again.

He entered his room and jumped onto his bed. He thought of Kippei.

I swore I'd never love again.

Keigo laid one arm over his eyes. It had only been six days, and already…

He groaned. He couldn't believe how fickle he was.

Kippei… are you angry?

Keigo sat up again and looked out his windows. No. He couldn't do this. The people who had killed Kippei were still out there. Already, they were tripping the alarm again. The past month's history was bound to repeat itself.

Keigo had never told anyone, but that day, six days ago, he was sure…

They hadn't been aiming for him.

They'd been aiming for Kippei.

And if they tried it again, they'd be aiming for Sanada.

Keigo made a fist. His father was right. He couldn't get attached. A little hint of attraction was no big deal. He'd get over this.

He had to…


-end of chapter 3-

Hope you liked it! XD

Notes…

(1) Yes, I made Eiji a girl. I told you I was gonna do it. XD I wanted the Golden Pair to have a sort of "Bonnie and Clyde" feel. I'm thinking of writing a separate fanfic (based on the same universe) that covers their backstory. If anything Eiji does seems a bit out of character, keep the gender switch in mind. I've been trying to look at it from this perspective: "If Eiji really were a girl, what would she do? What would she be like?" And don't worry, she won't be the only boy-turned-girl in this story. ;D